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Sydney AFL Round 1 2018

SYDNEY AFL ROUND 1 2018Article by Michael Shillito

A new season has begun. A new structure with seniors and reserves never split any more, a new Platinum league, massive growth in the number of womens teams; and more people playing footy in Sydney than ever before, with 105 teams now playing under the AFL Sydney banner. Plenty to be excited about.
And the biggest change of all was a new team in Premier Division. Camden Cats, a steadily-growing club, now fly the flag for the south-west at the highest level in our league. It’s been a quick rise to the top for Camden, who were in Division Two in the old structure just two years ago; but a reflection of the lofty ambitions of the club and the work they’ve done to build their club in recent years.

There’s always a sense of the unknown as a new season rolls around. There’s training and trial games, but you don’t really know how well a team is going to go until the first round is run and won.
At Fairfax Reserve, a twilight encounter between Camden and Wests, this was especially so. For Camden, their first game at this level. Some of their number had played Premier Division before; but for most of them that was years ago. Their visitors, Wests Magpies, had plenty of unfamiliar names on their team sheet; with several of last year’s team moving on and new recruits coming to the club to take their places.
The Cats had a rousing welcome from the Camden faithful as they entered the field. But if there were any nerves among the Camden players, they didn’t show it as they hit the ground running and took control of proceedings from the start. And it wasn’t long before the scoreboard pressure was being applied, as the Cats found options inside the forward 50 with regularity. With five unanswered goals in the first term, the Cats led by 30 points at quarter time and were looking good.
In the Magpie huddle at quarter time, the pressure was on. Five goals down, they had to change their game plan; and work out a way to kick a score that would get them back in the game. Throwing caution to the wind, the second quarter became a shoot-out. A marathon quarter of footy saw the forwards from both ends get the better of the defenders, and the goal umpires had plenty of flag-waving to do. The Magpies’ attacking structure clicked into gear and they would score six goals for the quarter. But the Cats were also on fire up forward, and their return of five goals for the quarter ensured that they would carry a 24-point lead into the rooms at half time.
The sun had set by the time the premiership quarter came around. But a blistering quarter of footy by the Cats lit up the ground and put the game out of the Magpies’ reach. Running the ball with confidence and stopping the Magpies in their tracks time after time, With six goals to two for the quarter, the Cats led by 48 points at three quarter time and victory in their Premier Division debut was assured.
And they weren’t finished yet. Sensing an opportunity to make a statement and build some percentage, which could potentially help them later in the season, they kept their run going through the last quarter. Another impressive quarter of footy would yield six goals to four, extending the final margin to 58 points.
Ben Yakimov proved himself a handy target up forward to contribute five goals for the Cats, while Jordan Ware added four goals in a best-on-ground performance; while Nathan Kenny and Flynn Fielding also featured prominently for the Cats. A dream debut for the Camden side, looking comfortable at the elite level.
Ruariri Campbell kicked four goals for the Magpies, and along with Aydin Bremner and Simon Stephens was among their best. It wasn’t a great start to the season for the Magpies; but they are a team with plenty of new players and you would expect it will take time for the new components to gel into place.

Pennant Hills unfurled their premiership flag, taking our memories back to that remarkable game in last year’s Grand Final when some desperate heroics got the Demons over the line against Sydney Uni. The same teams would face off again at Mike Kenny Oval on Saturday, but this time the result would be reversed as the Students took out the match by 55 points.
There wasn’t much in it in the opening quarter. It was a scrap, as the two sides took some time to feel each other out and easy possessions were hard to come by. Just two goals apiece would be scored, with the game looking like being a wrestle for the elusive ball; and the Demons led by two points at the first change.
But the game changed in complexion when the two teams returned for the second quarter. The Demons were still scrapping and struggling to get clean possessions. But the Students found another gear and stamped their mark of authority over the game. It didn’t take long in the second quarter for the Students to take the lead, and as the quarter progressed their dominance became more pronounced. A run of five unanswered goals saw the Students turn their quarter time deficit into a 28-point half time lead.
It didn’t get any better for the Demons in the third term, as they were again unable to find the big sticks. They were struggling to get a run of possession going against a Students side that was piling on the pressure; and although the Students were only able to add three goals during the third term, such was their defensive work that it was more than sufficient. Leading by 48 points at three quarter time, it was clear that the Students were cruising to victory.
The pain of premiership glory denied will never go away. A round 1 win doesn’t erase the hurt of last year’s Grand Final shock. But it’s the first step towards redemption and a start along the long road to go one better this year. And the Students made a positive first step. Going on with the job in the last quarter, they added another four goals to three to stretch the final winning margin to 55 points.
Matthew Vicic kicked five for the Students and Tristan Davies four; Vicic joining Nic Foster and Monty Krochmal to be the Students’ best; as the Students got their campaign to go one better than 2017 off to a flying start.
Jackson Potter, Alex Goodall and Tom Angel worked hard all day for the Demons. It wasn’t their day, but a footy season is a marathon not a sprint. The Demons started slowly last year and only hit their stride at the business end of the season; and no doubt the Demons will build up again this year as the season progresses.

The teams that played off in the 2016 Grand Final also met in the opening round; and the result of that Grand Final would be repeated as East Coast Eagles comfortably defeated St George by 59 points at Kanebridge Oval.
After lifting the 2016 cup, the Eagles had a disappointing year in 2017 and missed the finals. The Dragons made the five last year, but exited the finals after the first week. But the Eagles had recruited strongly during the off-season and have high hopes of returning to finals action in 2018.
But it was the Dragons who were the stronger starters. There’s always a breeze at Kanebridge, and the Dragons were kicking with it; but the visitors were looking like they had come to play, and led through much of the opening term. Some wayward finishing would cost them, but a return of three goals to two saw the Dragons leading by nine points at quarter time.
But the Dragons were unable to fire a shot in the second quarter, as the Eagles lifted a gear and picked up the lion’s share of possession in what would be a lopsided second quarter. As the quarter progressed, the game was flowing the Eagles’ way, and frustration would set in among the Dragons as they were repeatedly second to the ball. The Eagles would add six unanswered goals in the second term, and returned to the rooms at half time with a 30-point lead.
The Dragons were under pressure, and needed to find scoring chances in the third term. But when they did get the ball forward, they could only manage behinds. The Eagles were put under pressure around the ground, but unlike the Dragons were able to make more of their opportunities; and all three of their scoring shots in the third quarter were goals. A 44-point lead at the long break saw the Eagles looking comfortable against a St George side that had not scored a goal since the first quarter.
The Dragons would break the drought in the last quarter and manage two goals; but were outscored by the rampant Eagles who added four more to their tally. The Eagles were looking in control and untroubled by the Dragons in what had become an emphatic opening to the season.
Jamie Vlatko enjoyed a run up forward for the Eagles to finish with four goals; while Stuart Turner, Daniel Saywell and Kieran Emery featured prominently around the ground. There’s still a long way to go this season, and the Eagles still have plenty of work to do; but they will be feeling encouraged by such a strong performance in the season opener.
Tim Coenen, Dominic Michalak and Patrick Tegg battled tirelessly for the Dragons. But it wasn’t their day, and the Dragons will have some work to do to lift their performance from what was a disappointing round one result.

North Shore’s spiritual home at Gore Hill is closed for redevelopment this season; and so the Bombers’ home clash against Manly, a northern Battle of the Spit Bridge, was played in perfect conditions at Blacktown. But the lack of home ground advantage was no problem for the Bombers, as they took out a 92-point win over the Wolves.
Manly have a strong record over the Bombers since they went up to Premier Division in 2012, and even last year when the Wolves were struggling and the Bombers were near the top, the Wolves knocked off the Bombers once and the Bombers only just fell over the line in the return clash. But from the start, it was clear that this hoodoo was at risk of being conquered, as North Shore were clearly the better side and were never headed. The Bombers kicked four unanswered goals in the first term to lead by 25 points at half time.
The Bombers’ goal-kicking radar let them down in the second term, and several shots that should have been converted sailed wide of the big sticks. But the flow of possession was lopsided in the Bombers’ favour, and the Wolves rarely threatened to make life difficult for the Bombers. The second term wasn’t one that reached any great heights, and with North Shore kicking three goals to one, the lead was extended to 41 points at the long break.
The Wolves had barely fired a shot in the first half, but they emerged with a new resolve and a second wind as the third quarter got under way. Three early Manly goals cut the margin in half, but the Manly revival would be short-lived. As the quarter drew on, the Bombers emerged the stronger side and the Manly gains were quickly wiped out. As quick as the challenge came, it was repelled and the Bombers had victory in their sights. For all Manly’s efforts, and they would score four goals for the quarter, it was North Shore who won the quarter with six goals; as they stretched the margin to 53 points at three quarter time.
The last quarter was a North Shore benefit show, as the Bombers put their foot to the floor and powered away with a percentage-setting display of footy that shows the footy world that North Shore means business this year. After falling one game short of the Grand Final in the last two years, the Bombers will be doing everything they can to go one better and get into this year’s decider.
There was plenty of firepower on North Shore’s forward line, with Wayd Blackburne contributing six goals and Matt Buskariol five. Blackburne, along with Jack Campbell and Kyle Devlin, were North Shore’s best; on a day when few Bomber players lowered their colours.
It wasn’t a great day for Manly. Lachlan Kilpatrick, James Brain and Tyrone Armitage tried hard all day; but the Wolves struggled to find the firepower to match it with a red-hot North Shore team, and it will be a week of hard work on the training track at Weldon this week as the Wolves look for a stronger performance in weeks to come.

While the other four games in the opening round were relatively one-sided, the clash at Waverley Oval was a thriller. It was a match for Eastern Suburbs university honours, as UTS took on UNSW-ES, and it would go down to the wire.
It was goal for goal in the opening term, setting the tone for the rest of the match; as the lead frequently changed hands in an evenly-contested opening term. There would be three goals apiece scored, with a solitary behind giving the Bats a one-point lead at quarter time.
The second quarter would follow a similar trend to the first. Sometimes it was physical, sometimes it was skilful. Sometimes the game would look to drift as the ball sailed from end to end with the forwards from both sides being well held; as numbers would float back to prevent one-on-one contests and loose crumbers from being able to get anywhere. It was two goals apiece in the second term, and the Bats held the advantage by three points at the long break.
Tensions were building, the atmosphere becoming more intense and the support of the players from earlier games who had stuck around was becoming more vocal. It was a thriller, and neither side was prepared to concede an inch. It was intense football, no quarter asked or given, the defence tightening and attacking opportunities for both sides drying up. But the Bats broke through late, kicking two goals to one for the quarter, and leading by eight points at the last change.
There was plenty more desperate footy to be played; and although the Bulldogs had trailed at every change and lost all of the first three quarters, they were still within striking distance. And they hit back hard in the final quarter, threatening to steal the game from the Bats’ grasp. And how close they came! The Bulldogs kicked three goals to two in the last quarter, narrowing the margin to just one point. But the decisive play that would have stolen the game didn’t come; as the Bats hung on for dear life to take a hard-earned win.
On a day when goals were at a premium, Justin Crameri’s four-goal haul for the Bats went a long way towards getting them over the line. Around the ground, Josh Moyle, Scott Jansen and Jack Macklin got plenty of the ball for the Bats. After missing out on last year’s finals, a first-up win raises the Bats’ hopes of a return to finals action in 2018.
Darcy Cordell, Harry Annear and Jesse Aish were best for the Bulldogs; but this was a game they would be disappointed to lose. After going out of last year’s finals in straight sets, the Bulldogs have high hopes for 2018; but a first-round loss wasn’t part of their plan. But there’s a long way to go before the business end of this season.

Black - Confirmed finallistsGreen - Currently in a finals position, but not yet guaranteed a place in the finalsBlue - Not currently in a finals position, but still a chance to qualifyPurple - Will not be competing in the finalsRed - Wooden spoon